Annual report 2005-06.indd - Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems ...

communication strategyThe ACE CRC Communication Strategy was developed early in 2004 to provide a framework for bothinternal and external communication activities. The first year of communications activity established thefoundation, including the necessary processes and frameworks, for effective communication. The secondyear continued to build on this foundation to achieve the stated goals and resulted in an increasedcommitment and support for communications initiatives from program leaders and other research staff.Communication GoalsThe major goals as outlined in theCommunication Strategy are:1. To promote a sense of community andcommon purpose among researchersinvolved in the ACE CRC, strengthening staffand student commitment to the organisationand fostering collaborative work amongparticipants.2. To develop and maintain effectivemultidirectional communication among allstaff and students within the ACE CRC,enabling the flow of knowledge aboutresearch and other activities between andacross programs and people.3. To promote awareness of the work of the ACECRC among partner organisations and helppartners gain value from their involvementwith ACE CRC and benefit from ACE CRCresearch.4. To promote awareness among keystakeholders of the ACE CRC and its role,achievements and value to Australia.5. To attract high quality students to the ACECRC postgraduate education program.6. To strengthen links between the ACE CRCand other relevant national and internationalresearch and development initiatives,including those in the private sector.7. To ensure that ACE CRC research contributesto evidence-based decision-making by local,state and federal government in the realmsof Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, global andregional climate changes and their impacts.8. To encourage private industry in Australiato use ACE CRC research in planning for theimpacts of climate change.9. To increase awareness and understandingamong the Australian community aboutAntarctica, the Southern Ocean and climatechange.10. To promote the CRC Programme and itsobjectives.Approaches to CommunicationTo address the above goals, the followingapproaches were identified in the CommunicationStrategy:• The web site will be a core means ofcommunication with staff, students and otherkey stakeholders.• Communication tools and frameworks willbe available to help staff and studentscommunicate their work effectively.• Personal contact will be used whereverpossible, especially when interacting withsenior decision-makers, and strong personalrelationships with key stakeholders willbe established and maintained by seniormembers of the ACE CRC.• Multidirectional knowledge flow within theACE CRC will be encouraged through useof e-mail lists, newsletters, web pages,workshops, forums and meetings.• Publications will be developed on current andemerging research/issues that are tailored tothe specific needs of the target audience.• The ACE CRC will work collaborativelywith other Partner organisations via theCommunications Advisory Committee tomaximise communication opportunities.• ACE CRC will monitor the environment (viamedia scanning, personal contact, networksand so on) and respond to emerging issuesas appropriate.• Redundancy will be used in all communicationtactics to reach stakeholders (that is, reachstakeholders using a variety of mediums,repeating messages as often as possible).• The media will be used to reach a broadrange of stakeholders and raise awareness ofthe CRC and its work.84 Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems CRC - Annual Report 2005-06